Wisps of Time
by Apollo276
Summary: A young Hunter who has caught the eye of the Vanguard has been offered the opportunity to make history. To join a group of five others and stop the evil brewing deep within the depths of Venus in the legendary Vault of Glass.
1. Chapter 1: The Waking Ruins

It'd only been a few minutes since he'd engaged the jump drives, but it'd felt like an eternity. Apprehension welled up inside of him as the flurry of colors from the tear in space-time danced in his silver eyes. He shifted, nestling further into his cloak and crossing his arms as he ran through the information he'd gathered during the long weeks prior. Entry strategies, excerpts from the Pahanin Errata, insider information from the Future War Cult and all known data supplied from the Vanguard. It all whizzed through his head like code through a CPU.

A terminal to his left displayed route plotting and other status visuals for the ship's systems

/Destination lock/

Venus, Ishtar Sink

Transmat zone

Ishtar Academy - Confirmed

Waking Ruins - Error

Ember Caves - Unavailable

Citadel - Error

/Venus approach imminent, jump drives disengaging./

A shudder passing through the ship's hull jolted him from his thoughts as the jump drives cycled down and dropped them to a cruising speed in Venus' orbit. Upon registering the vibrant planet before him, he reached to grab his helmet from the stand to the right of his seat, pulled back a few stray locks of his black hair and slid it over his head, allowing the HUD to load in and visuals to synchronise before taking the ship's controls in his gloved hands.

He aligned his ship with the guidance lines of the post-jump trajectory with the Ishtar Sink, steadying the ship and easing the flight stick down as he dove into Venus' thick atmosphere. The ship began to shudder and shake as he plowed through the thick, yellow, rolling clouds of sulfur. Shortly afterwards, he broke through the cloud layer and evened out his descent. High rocky peaks and lush valleys stretched out to the left while the land smoothed out straight ahead as well as to his right. Glowing blue rivulets and pools of sulfuric lava poked through the pale Venusian rock, soon becoming unidentifiable streaks of blue as his ship sped towards the Ishtar Academy.

He flicked a switch on the control stick with his thumb, and engaged the ship's autopilot before he rose from his seat and walked towards the back of his ship. A small space awaited him with a gun rack on his right devoid of weapons save for one scout rifle and a sniper rifle. The back wall a few meters away houses a locked doorway, a shelf and a small workbench littered with datapads, sapphire wire and weapon parts. An open doorway on the left wall lead to his quarters.

He retrieved his Proxima Centauri scout rifle and Epitaph sniper from the otherwise empty weapon rack and re-stocked on ammunition synthase kits.

[ _We're nearing the Ishtar Academy, Kalek. You ready for transmat?_ ] The digital voice of his Ghost chimed through the comms.

He breathed a thin sigh before responding "As ready as I'll ever be."

His sniper had vanished into his micro-storage so he simply secured his Proxima to his back and stood, waiting for the familiar tingle of trans-materialization.

He didn't have to wait long. Moments later, his limbs began to tingle and he closed his eyes as his vision grew brighter and the sensation of floating filled his gut. Opening his eyes, he dropped a couple feet out of the air and surveyed the environment around him.

A soft drizzle splattered tiny droplets onto his visor and thin rivulets of precipitation ran down his cloak. The remainder of the scenery shared the same wetness, several crates stood piled nearby glistening with moisture and the Vanguard banner flapped lazily on a post next to them. A path carved by repeated Sparrow traffic snaked out of a pass to his left, curving towards a bend to his right leading to the various buildings of the Ishtar Academy.

He sensed a staticky form materialize just shy of his shoulder and glanced over to see his Ghost peering at the path with its singular glowing optic and characteristic Intrusion color pattern. 

[ _The others have probably already gathered at Campus 9 by now. We should hurry._ ] His triangular nodes rotated and twitched as he spoke. 

"Can't wait to hear what Garen has to say about us being late." His tone betrayed the message of his words, as they were devoid of enthusiasm. "Set a waypoint to Campus 9, Adonis."  
Just before his sentence ended, a pulsing grey marker and distance counter appeared on his HUD.

[ _Way ahead of you._ ] His ghost's voice became less distorted as it vanished into his suit's systems

Letting out an amused puff from his nose, he pulled his hood over his helmet, summoned his Sparrow and brought his leg over the air where metal plates and machinery were actively filling in. The engine whirred to life with a tease of the throttle before he shot off down the path, a green trail streaking behind him in his wake.

Thin streams of water trailed outwards on his visor as the environment blurred around him. Blurs of the Venusian lava pools streaked along his peripheral vision and bright orange pools of water and sulfuric acid splashed violently as he sped over them. Whizzing through a cavernous tunnel, the pathway eventually gave way to a more open space with House of Winter's sentries patrolling near one of their outposts on his left. Deciding to air on the side of caution, he took a sharp right over one of the collapsed rock formations, darting between tall stone outcroppings until the path narrowed once more.

He continued towards the rendezvous location, zipping through ravines, thick canopies and Vex architecture. Taking his eyes away from the path ahead only the gaze at the massive Vex Citadel, a towering monolith of metal and carved stone, reaching high into the clouds, its top far too high to see as he passed by the highly populated area. Continuing down the path, he eventually spotted the small pathway through two smooth walls of stone leading to Campus 9. A cluster of figures had gathered just outside of the walls and a twinge of surprise flashed through him. 

"Huh, thought we were meeting _inside_ the facility." He mumbled 

[ _We were…_ ] His Ghost's voice showed equal confusion as they approached the group of four who now began looking at the new arrival.

Kalek slowed his Sparrow as he closed the distance before jutting his foot out; kicking the back end out into a sliding stop a few meters away from the group.  
He dismounted and made his way over to the others.

"You're late." The gruff comment came from a heavily armored Titan in the center of the semicircle. Clad in white and red armor plating; The tri-scored sigils of the New Monarchy stamped on various parts of his armor, and an exceptionally large scratch marring the face of his helmet.

"I'm aware." Kalek responded dryly, intentionally avoiding the Titan's steady gaze.

"And why is that?" His probing question had a bite behind each word

"I made a stop to the Cosmodrome, had to pick up some Spinmetal for a couple of last minute upgrades." He kept his tone calm and dismissive as he responded, only to be met with a ridiculing retort

"You do realize that both the Vanguard _and_ Crucible Quartermasters sell those, right?"

"Back off, Garen." The command came from a Warlock leaning against the wall bordering the footpath to the group's far left, inspecting a small glassy sphere in her grasp. Her voice was calm, but authoritative. She had an air of power from her stance, from her armor, from the metal 'feathers' atop her Light Beyond Nemesis helmet, to the prestige of her Goldspiral armor shader. "When you were new to the Vanguard, it took you weeks before you could afford that Shadow Price. Kalek's probably trying to gear up before using his Vanguard marks for convenience items." She looked up at Kalek from her item, "That about right, Hunter?" 

[ _Spot on, Aihri._ ] Adonis chimes in as he materializes above Kalek's shoulder. 

"Yes, thank you Kalek. Really appreciate it." Kalek's sarcastic response received a chuckle and a shake of the Warlock's head as she resumed her task. Garen simply scoffed and began glancing around at the dense foliage around them.

Settling against one of the short spires of rock he folded his arms, closed his eyes, and waited for the final group member's arrival. He attempted to address his feelings, to calm his nerves.

 _It's just a long strike. A strike without knowledge of what's coming. A strike that has not been completed successfully and those who have attempted have never returned…_

[ _Your heart rate is elevated. Whatever you're doing, I don't think continuing is a good idea._ ]

"I was trying to calm my nerves.", he mumbles beneath his helmet.

[ _Well, you're definitely doing_ something _wrong._ ]

"You don't say?"

[ _I do, Actually._ ]

An amused exhale "What am I gonna do with you?"

[ _I have an extensive list of things you_ shouldn't _do with me._ ]

"Is punting you off the Skywatch on that list?"

[ _… It is now…_ ]

The distant whirr of a Sparrow's engine interrupted the normal sounds of the area and brought his attention back to his current situation. Opening his eyes, he turned to peer around the stone he was leaning on and saw a fast-approaching Sparrow, its blue trail streaking behind.

Moments later, the rider hurriedly kicked off of their mount and jogged over to them.

 _Robes, fancy armband, composed stature. Definitely a Warlock._

His eyes narrowed ever so slightly, noting the lithe frame and swaying gait

 _Female._

"Sorry I'm late," He was taken aback when she spoke. Her voice was light, accent like that of most Awoken, but something about her felt familiar. "had some sparrow trouble on the way here. I can't blame it though, the transition from glassy Moon sand to sulfuric acid puddles is quite drastic."

The idea settled in as the pieces quickly fell into place. Coming from the Moon, female Warlock, energetic attitude. He'd worked with her before, but he didn't think their reunion would be on this treacherous occasion.

"Arana." It was intended for himself, but still caught the newcomer's attention. She stopped and turned to him surprise on her body language.

"How do you know my name?" She inquired.

A slight smile wormed its way onto his features as he responded, "We've worked together before. On the moon a few months ago. I was subbed into your fireteam when Ikora tasked you and one other to take down Ph-"

"-Phogoth... " She finished his sentence as the memory became clear. "Yes, I remember you now. It'd be hard to forget an experience like that… Kalek, right?"

"Bingo."

She eyed him up and down behind her helmet "You've changed. Finally got away from that tiny cloak, I see."

Heat filled his face as the remembered the comically short beginner's cape the Vanguard had loaned to him during his first month.

"I couldn't find a replacement, okay? Cayde's excuse is that it 'gives us a glimpse of the ever so humble nature of us hunters'."

 _Which all of us know is complete bullshit_

Their conversation was broken by Garen's announcement. The Titan was looking down at a sheet when he spoke. "It's about time we start packing up. I'll take a quick head count and supply check before we make our way to the Waking Ruins. Aihri. Kalek. Arana…"

Garen looked up at each one as their name was called. A calm authority in his voice and actions.

Kalek, unmoving glanced at each as their name was called as well. Memorizing and creating associations with each name. As the others collected their belongings, he compiled all he knew into each fireteam member

 _Garen: Defender Titan, aligns with New Monarchy. Faught alongside the Titans of the Iron Banner in the Battle of Six Fronts. Likes to be in control. General irritant, but his experience is valuable._

 _Aihri: Sunsinger Warlock, loyal to the Vanguard. Good friends with Ikora. Fair and easy to get along with. Highly experienced, very powerful, weirdly insightful and craves knowledge._

 _Dale: Gunslinger Hunter, Slightly more experienced than Arana and I. Usually can't get him to shut up, strange that he's so quiet now. His nerves are probably getting to him as well._

 _Arana: Voidwalker Warlock, her ghost, Astrid, found her around the same time Adonis found me. Interestingly enough, she shares a likeness with Aihri- Eh, I know who she is, moving on.._

 _Romulus-4: Striker Titan, seems to be…_

His eyes began to wander towards the Titan.

 _I… don't actually know much about him… He's quiet…_

"Alright, let's get moving!" 

Garen's call brought him from his thoughts. He pulled his weapon from his back and joined the others as they filed into a sort of line. Garen and Aihri took point at the front. Dale hung behind Romulus in the middle and Kalek brought up the rear next to group had fallen silent as they traveled, the only sound being that of their gear clinking and rusling, and the soft crunch of boots on the dirt path.

As the group rounded the upcoming bend, he glanced over at Arana who was currently fiddling with one of the buckles on her robes. His gaze lingered a moment too long, as she caught his eyes and looked back at him.

"Is there something on my face?" She inquired jokingly

He shook his head, amused "You have a helmet on, Arana."

"With the way you were looking at me, I had to double-check."

"To be honest, I didn't quite expect you to be here, much less the fact that we'd be working together so soon."

"Well, being the best of the up and coming Warlocks definitely helped ease the decision for the Vanguard. My work on the Moon helped uncover valuable information on the Hive gods and their rituals. And you say 'so soon' like our strike on the Summoning Pits was a few weeks ago, it's been months."

He nodded slightly "The best, huh?"

"Well, I don't think Ikora picked me just because of my looks." She finished with a playful tone

He opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by Garen's voice

"Heads up, Guardians!"

Following his order he brought his gaze from Arana back to his surroundings.

His Ghost popped out to catch the sight. [ _There it is. The Waking Ruins…_ ]

The dense canopy the path had carved through gave way to a large open section. To their left, sheer stone cliffs dropped off into the vast, vibrant sea. Glistening orange from the toxic Venusian chemical compounds. To their right, a clearing sporting perfectly shaped rectangular stone outcroppings dotting the area. An enormous, round door seemingly made of a gold-tinted metal sat embedded into the rock above before them; an intensely burning white light at its center. It looked around 70 meters away with two pathways stretching outwards towards the cliffs like arms eager to grasp the setting Sun. On the smooth stone just in front of it, lay a large ring made of the same bronze colored metal as the Vex bodies, its diameter wide enough wide to fit six people shoulder-to-shoulder.

 _Sync plates. The data from the Archives said there would be three, but where are the other two?_

He looked around the door, and pathways stretched out to each side. The right passageway rose upwards, its cracked stone steps leading up to a collapsed platform with the second sync plate housed at the top, nestled beneath a large, degraded transport gate. He looked back to the door and followed the second pathway down a more natural path. It trailed beneath a stone overhang with vines and vegetation filling the area around the metal plate.

 _That should be all of them…_

His eyebrows furrowed when he looked down at the large square slab of stone that lay a few meters ahead of him. It was larger than the sync plates and held two large circles, perfectly carved into its surface. Lines inlaid into the smooth surface intersect and cross through the circles and out to the stone's edges. In some places the rock had been worn away, showing the machinework of the Vex beneath.

 _That must be the spire pedestal then…_

He slowly approached it and kneeled down to run his finger through the smooth crevasse. The stone hummed with energy, a tension that weaved through his fingers as he touched it. Spreading up his arm and to the back of his head, a faint static began to fill his head and his vision began to fade out of focus. A distant voice echoed through the noise. " _I am not lost…"_

The static grew louder and an electronic buzz began to join the cacophony. He screwed his eyes closed, his eyebrows furrowing as he fought the unseen. He heard his name being called repeatedly a mix of fear and urgency full in his chest. He pulled his hand back sharply and opened his eyes, but he saw nothing but the dark for a few seconds. Elements of his vision began filtering in from the dark and be became aware of hands on his shoulders. He looked over his shoulder and found himself staring into the V-shaped patterns of Arana's visor.

"You alright?" She inquired, her voice laced with concern.

He turned back to the pedestal and stood. His hand twitching and his mind still shaken. "Yeah… Yeah, I'm fine." He lied.

He looked up from the pedestal and turned towards Arana. A grey, distorted figure in the corner of his vision caused him to do a double-take, only to find the scenery around him absent of the unknown figure.

Arana leaned slightly closer, confusion creeping into her voice "You sure?"

He took a moment to respond before giving a shaky thumbs up, "Adonis, you alright?"

The response came from over his comms. His companion hadn't materialized outside his suit before the incident. [ _It's difficult to think straight for now, but I'll be alright_ ]

He nodded slightly in understanding "Okay." He turned to Arana, "Where are the others?"

She stuck her thumb over her shoulder, pointing towards the cliffside. "Dale's over at the downed transmat zone to try and get it up and running again. Vex interference has been scrambling any uplinks over there. The rest of them are preparing to separate into groups of two and start the assault so we'd better get moving."

Kalek nodded and began to make his way back to the remaining three fireteam members, Arana following closely behind him. It was Aihri who saw them approach and inquired lightheartedly,

"Where'd you two disappear to?"

"Just inspecting the Spire pedestal." A light shrug from Kalek, his mind still buzzing.

Her chin dipped slightly and her voice became more stern, "Be careful around the Vex channels; the machines are not as grounded as you might think."

As she finished, Dale rejoined the group and Garen spoke up.

"Alright Guardians, this is it. Quick overview of entering the Vault: hold all three sync plates to raise the Spire and open the door. Once you've taken a sync plate, **do not** let the Vex near it. If even one of them take control of a sync plate, the sequence will be broken and the Spire will begin to deconstruct. Watch for Praetorian models, they resemble Minotaurs but larger and darker. They are the most aggressive and should become the highest priority once they are spotted. No exceptions. We'll split up into three teams of two; one team for each plate. Stay with your partner at all times, the Vex's core combat processes involve overwhelming numbers."

Garen paused and looked at each of them in the vague semicircle they'd formed before continuing,

"When you reach your plates, wait for my signal to initiate the construction sequence." Another pause, "Good luck to us all."

With that, he turned and sped into a light sprint towards the middle sync plate, with Aihri sticking just behind him. Kalek and Arana glanced at each other before they turned to make their way to the left sync plate, while Dale and Romulus began scaling the collapsed rock to reach the right sync plate.

The left path began as a shallow rise from the side of the cliffs, winding through the dense foliage much like a smaller version of the path they'd used to get to Ruins. With each step, his nervousness increased and upon reaching their destination, Kalek stood just outside the border of the sync plate and waited for Garen's command. The only sounds being the soft trickle of water across stone, the wind rustling the wide leaves of nearby plants and the low buzz of the Vex machinework embedded in the surrounding rock. A stagnant energy filled the air, building in tension as the seconds passed. After what seemed like an eternity, Garen's voice came in through the comms.

"Initiating on my mark. Three, two, one, mark!"

As ordered, he stepped inside the circle and it began to glow white along its intricate engravings and scratches. The tension lifted from the area, concentrating at a single point near the cliffs. Readying his scout rifle, he turned to face the strange occurrence. A bright blue spark of energy erupted to life and intensified in the air and within seconds, a thick black fog began rolling outward from the energy source. Multiple red lights began to appear behind the fog and started to approach the couple before revealing themselves as the piercing scarlet optics of Vex Goblins. The robotic legion marched forward with intimidating persistence, their thin, humanoid frames clanked mechanically. There was an unsettling vibe about them, their vaguely humanoid figures offset by their large, intense optics, luminescent white mind cores exposed at the abdomen, fan-shaped heads and angular faces devoid of humanoid features.

A squeeze of the trigger sent one of the mechanized frames staggering, another shot destroying its fan-shaped head. Sparks began flying and electricity arced through its frame as it charged angrily towards their position. Taken aback by its unusual behavior, his next shot missed and he was forced pull behind cover as the Goblin sent several shots of red energy whizzing by his head.

He pulled his knife from its sheath and dashed from behind the rock, thrusting the blade into the approaching Goblin's belly, scrambling the glowing white fluid of its exposed mind core. The liquid spilled over his hand as he withdrew the blade.

The lifeless frame fell only to reveal another Goblin charging a pulse wave in its outstretched hand. He saw a growing glow in his peripheral vision accompanied with the electrical whirring of a charging fusion rifle. He launched himself backwards as a flurry of six violet bolts of void energy tore through his assailant's bronze frame, its components dissolving into nothingness as the void consumed it.

He glanced over at Arana to see her unleash another blast of plasma into the group of enemies. A distant mechanical chirping caught his attention and he whirled around, rifle at the ready to see a group of Harpies quickly approaching the sync plate. Their bodies comprising of three roughly triangular pieces of metal, the ends frayed back like fins hovering around a singular red optic attached to its central body mass and a few snaky metallic tendrils trailing behind their floating forms.

"Harpies behind us!" He called out before bolting towards them

Sliding into a crouch behind the supporting columns of rock, he channeled the light within him into a bright sphere of arc energy. He then threw it into the group of Harpies and within a count of a second, a singular bolt of arc lightning chained from one of the floating Vex to another, each Harpy exploding from the overload and showering its components over the area.

With the coast clear, he rose and looked back to Arana finishing off the last of the Goblins nearby; not a trace of combat aside from the empty fusion cell lying near her feet.

"Harpies are down," He inspected the pathway leading up to the Vault door, "any sign of Praetorians?"

"None so far." Arana's voice responded over the comms

The echoes of explosions and gunfire signified the others' battles near their sync plates were still raging. He gazed over across the clearing to the collapsed platform where Dale held off a large Vex model, most likely a Praetorian, its void shield glowing brightly from the damage it was receiving. Dale danced around it, while continuously peppering it in auto rifle fire, blowing off its shield and allowing the rounds to penetrate its frame. Meanwhile Romulus could be spotted high in the air, his body coursing with arc energy as he slammed down into a cluster of Goblins. Their bodies obliterated in the electrified blast from his fists.

[ _Look, the Spire is forming!_ ]

Adonis' comment brought his gaze over to the center of the clearing. He stepped around the rock column blocking his view to see the glowing white scaffolding of the spire rising. A three-dimensional grid of data and energy forming the frame for the stone and machine of the Spire itself. A large metallic sphere was the first solid object to form, slowly materialized near the top of the scaffolding. A sort of emitter facing the door began glowing as the remainder of the tower began materializing from the bottom up.

"Kalek, we've got a group of Hobgoblins warping in." Arana called for his assistance over the comms and he turned to engage the incoming threats.

He holstered his scout rifle to his back and summoned his sniper rifle. Aiming down the scope, he spotted the wave of Hobgoblins marching from the fog they came from. Their angular heads, trading the Goblin's fan-shaped tops for two foot-long protrusions pointing left and right, swiveling in search of targets. He lined up the scope's reticule with one of their mind cores, waiting a moment to steady the shot before pulling the trigger. The bullet sliced through its torso, the force shattering the components and destroying its core in a spray of milky-white goop. Its legs and body collapsed as two separate pieces and the unit beside it turned its piercing glare to Kalek. Within an instant, a high-velocity bolt of bright red energy grazed his left arm, scorching his armor; a gentle graze compared to the damage of a direct impact. He exhaled sharply at the pain as he dove behind the column of rock to his left and slowly peeked around the cover. A flash and he reflexively pulled back into cover, a line of energy scorching the air his head once occupied. Pinned behind cover, he lowered himself into a crouch and focused on being silent, elusive, invisible. His form began to fade, colors draining from his armor becoming more and more transparent until mere seconds later, he was barely visible. His movements as light as the air and his appearance just as so. He lightly dropped down into the clearing, and made his way to down to the cliffside where the Hobgoblins had set up. He was now crouched behind a boulder, formulating his next plan of attack from behind the six Vex.

"Kalek, I need that sniper cover! They've got me pinned down and they're definitely not letting up anytime soon!"

Precision bolts of solar energy hammered into Arana's cover and a nervous urgency worked its way into his gut. His focus wavered and his invisibility began to wear off, becoming increasingly visible he transferred his energy and focus from his stealth to the raw power at its peak within him. Vaulting over the boulder, he ignited in a flash of white-hot electricity. Bringing his dominant hand back, a brilliantly charged blade of arc light filled his grasp. He hit the ground running, quick as lightning, he lunged at the first Hobgoblin within reach, his blade easily slicing through the metal. He darted from one target to the next, effortlessly switching his grip on the hilt with each swipe, ruthlessly slicing in a fluid, trancelike state. Within seconds the assaulting group of Vex were no more than smoldering piles of scrap metal. The energy coursing through him collapsed and Kalek returned to a normal state, showing minimal signs of fatigue.

He looked over to where Arana was stepping from behind her shelter, "It wasn't exactly what you'd asked for, but it worked."

She picked her way around the dead Vex. "Yes, I'd say that did the trick."

"Impressive, Hunter."

The voice over the comms came from Aihri. "You have the makings of a dangerous Bladedancer. I see now, why Cayde picked you for this assignment."

Kalek and Arana exchanged glances, neither previously aware of their onlooker by the central sync plate and carefully returned to their own. Kalek glance back over at the incomplete Spire, the faint glow at the emitter had become more prevalent, now beginning to cause a glare on his visor.

"What Aihri said may be true, but you two need to put some spark in your step!" It was Garen this time, anger in his tone. "You're gonna have Vex closing in on that plate any second! Get a move on!"

As much as he didn't want to admit it, Garen was right. There were probably Goblins steadily marching onto their position and would de-activate the plate without hesitation. Kalek quickened his pace to a run with Arana on his heels. Just as predicted, a group of Goblins and Harpies split off from the larger group attacking the middle and were making their way towards the two Guardians. Arana took the lead, throwing a compressed orb of void energy into the group. It shattered in a small explosion, releasing a barrage of several void blasts, carpeting the area in explosive void light. Those caught within the blast began to glow brightly and combust in a blooming explosion, causing a chain reaction which thinned the Vex's numbers considerably. The remainder were picked off by Kalek's precision shots to the mind core.

Before they had time to take another breath, the electronic screeches of Harpies could be heard behind them. Kalek whirled around and spotted the two floating forms peeking around a rock face nearby the sync plate. He broke into a sprint, firing at them as he ran. His shots missed their intended marks, ricocheting off of the Harpy's angular body plates and it simply withdrew behind the rock.

 _Wait a minute… Vex never retreat..._

He slid to a stop, but the trap had already been sprung. Four Harpies darted out of cover and entered an attack position, their body plates flared outwards and their snaky tendrils writing in the air. They opened fire, rapidly blasting at Kalek and Arana as they hastily retreated. Kalek had launched himself backwards, but suddenly a forceful strike from behind connected. Hard. Pain shot through his torso, his rifle escaped his grasp and his course changed abruptly; smacking into the nearby wall. Spots flashed in his blurry vision and his hearing regressed into a dull roar of explosions and screeches. He repositioned himself onto his hands and knees, attempting to identify his assailant. It didn't take him long as it manifested in a large Vex model towering over him, a hand-held cannon in its right hand. Its broad shoulders, burly limbs and thick metal plating darker in color than the previous models he'd seen. A Praetorian of the Hezen Protective order. It brought its left hand back, its metal fingers straightened to act as a wedge in a downward slice. A stream of focused solar energy sliced into the Praetorian, its shields flared violet as it absorbed the damage but the impact caused it to stagger, giving Kalek a chance to scramble from beneath it.

Regaining his equilibrium, he looked around hastily and located his rifle a few meters away. He pushed into a standing position and began to move towards it, but he whirled around, drawing his knife by reflex at the sound of mechanized footsteps behind him. The Praetorian wasn't finished with its attack, lunging at him once again. He side-stepped away from its jab and returned with a slice of his own.

Its shield warped around the blade but still denied penetration, the strike bouncing back harmlessly.

 _Damn, gonna need some serious void power to pop those shields…_

The Minotaur began backpedaling, it's torch hammer primed to fire devastating void blasts at any moment. Realizing it's intentions, he stayed about four feet back, too close for the its blaster but just out of range for its deadly slice.

"Arana, you think you could spare a grenade?"

"If you'd asked five seconds ago, I would've said yes. I don't have the energy to summon another, and the Vex just keep coming!"

The distress in her voice was highly evident, and taking a hasty glance over to where she was dishing out hurt in copious quantities. A spherical vortex of hungering void energy swirled and consumed any Vex within its reach. Meanwhile, the Warlock floated about seven feet above the legion of Goblins, their rapid fire bolts whizzing by her. Lining herself up, she brought her right hand across her chest, void light filling her enclosed fingers. With the void energy coursing through her she swiped her hand back, casting a row three explosive void projectiles detonating on contact in a brilliant series of explosions. The glance lasted less than a second and to his relief didn't jeopardize his life. The Praetorian suddenly charged forward, altering its attack pattern to a relentless barrage of slices and jabs. Kalek backpedalled, ducking, parrying and swerving around its stiff strikes. Knife against metal sounded for several long seconds before another intensely focused stream of solar energy sliced through the Praetorian's shield. The shot continued through the shield this time, into and through the Praetorian's head; destroying it as its components combusted on contact to the intense energy.

Shocked, by the abrupt end to his encounter, he turned to see the origin of the shot and saw the faint form of a Warlock crouching on one of the rocks beside the central sync plate.

"You looked like you could've used a little help." Aihri said lightly.

He looked back down to the smoldering heap of metal at his feet. "Well, you weren't wrong.." He suddenly remembered the image of Arana casting her Nova Bomb at the Vex legions "..but I'm not the only one who could use some help."

He quickly turned and bolted down to the open area where explosions echoed, marking Arana's continuing struggle. The dust had just settled and just beyond the countless Vex frames, two more points of entry marked an even larger onslaught of Vex marching in. All throughout the Guardians' battle, the Vex had been probing for weak spots, and now that they'd found it they would strike with overwhelming force. Kalek considered pulling out his sniper rifle and picking them off from his current position, but decided against it and took off to assist Arana, sliding into a crouch behind a collapsed pillar segment and laying down fire into the wall of machines. Almost immediately he was pinned down by Vex fire and he instantly regretted his decision against sniping from afar.

"We've got heavy Vex numbers converging on the left sync plate," He called over the comms, "Arana and I are going to need some serious help; we can't keep them down forever!" With that, he threw a skip grenade over his cover into the Vex, the grenade shattering into several arc seekers which tracked and detonated on their targets, knocking out five more vex along with the four Arana had worked down.

"Adonis, keep watch over the sync plate, we can't have another Praetorian getting behind us again."

[ _On it_ ]

His ghost quickly materialized and flew back towards the sync plate receiving little attention from the Vex onslaught. He popped in and out of cover, taking out Goblin after Goblin as Arana did the same. He was vaguely aware of the conversations the Veteran Guardians were having in response to their request, but his attention was fully enveloped in the wall of machines by the cliffs. The forty seconds it took for the remainder of his comrades to arrive seemed like several minutes. A spark of surprise flickered in his mind when Aihri's Solar flare ignited the Vex marching in from his left. His gaze snapped over to see her float down from one of the many stone spires, her outstretched hand encased in flame as she struck one of the Vex with a wind of arcane energy pushed from her palm. Its frame combusting, falling backwards into its allies. After this, she slid on one knee into cover and engaged in the firefight. The mechanical roar of a Praetorian pulled his attention away soon after and he whirled to his right to see exactly what he expected… for the most part. It was a Praetorian alright, but its head was blown off entirely, its shields were down with its components sparking, and it was charging, firing unpredictably into his and Arana's cover.

"Praetorian coming from the cliffs! Damaged and unpredi-" He cut his sentence short to silence a scream of pain as three searing shots from the main Vex group landed on his chest and shoulder. He dropped behind cover and turned the face the enraged machine just in time to see it decimated. Without warning, an astounding amount of force plowed into the large Vex frame. The ironclad figure of a Titan destroyed it with a shoulder charge with the force and sound of an artillery cannon. The machine's broken frame toppled over, landing a couple meters back and the Titan immediately moved on, pulling his auto rifle from his back and laying down a hail of bullets into the Vex.

He spoke and the characteristic sound of the Exo's digital voicebox came through the comms. "Praetorian is down. On your feet, Hunter." His speech was short and strong. Commanding, and Kalek followed. Grunting from pain, he heaved his weapon over the stone to return fire. The Vex numbers had thinned significantly, with only a Praetorian, two Hobgoblins and four Goblins still left standing in the sea of frames. He focused his fire on the Praetorian, aiming to take down its shields while it was busy blasting at Dale as he joined the fight. Its shields flared intensely with each shot and it turned angrily towards Kalek. With its back turned, Dale seized the opportunity, he thrust his hand into the air, calling forth the light and in a burst of heat and light, a gun filled with the power of the Sun came into being within his grasp. He leveled his sights and fired three times. Kalek flinched with each shot, _feeling_ the power more than witnessing it.

One. The Praetorian's shields decimated. Two. Molten shards of it's shoulder's components and servos showered the ground. Nothing remaining but a seared arm hole. Three. Its center torso destroyed as the round pierced it's exoskeleton. Its frame collapsing in a mass of partially intact parts and molten metal.

Dale lost his glow of heat, and his weapon faded away as his power waned. He looked directly at Kalek and nodded in thanks. Kalek returned the gesture and looked around to see that the remaining Vex had fallen.

"Adonis, any trouble by the plate?" Kalek inquired.

[ _None, don't you think I would've told you if anything went wrong?_ ]

"Never hurts to ask."

A gruff call came over the Guardians' comms, "If you all are done, there are still quite a few stragglers to take care of over here!"

It was Garen, and as Kalek turned towards the central plate, a luminescent semicircular violet shield encased the white ring. Garen stood inside, his arms outstretched, the void filtering through his fingertips holding the barrier against the Vex's solar barrage. Hobgoblins perched at the far right sync plate laid down suppressing fire onto Garen's position and Goblins moved on both the right and middle plates.

[ _Oh, by the way, our sync plate has finished its sequence._ ]

"The Spire should almost be fully formed." Aihri called, "One last push, Guardians! Toss grenades to the middle if you have them and split into groups of three!"

"On it!" He barked the response as he tossed his compressed arc light into the group of Goblins surrounding Garen. He turned sharply and followed as Arana and Romulus ran to climb up to the third sync plate. Picking up speed in a sprint, he leapt up from rock to rock, scaling the collapsed stone. Romulus launched himself high in a powered lift, while Arana floated upwards and pulled herself over the edge.

Romulus pulled another grenade from his belt and chucked it into the group of goblins. After a second, it detonated with a sharp blast of light; scrambling the Goblins' optics and causing them to cry out electronic screeches and attempt to seek cover. With the Vex vulnerable, the trio let out unrelenting fire into the drones until every frame fell.

"Right side is clear!" Arana called over the comms, "We're coming down now!"

She took off down the right side path, the middle plate easily visible from their high position. Kalek glanced at Romulus and followed, running down the path through the bleached stone pillars and mossy ground, rounding a stone outcropping, they rejoined the rest of the group who were standing around the center plate, metal plating and bodies littering the ground around them.

"Looks like you missed the party." Aihri stood in the group of three, twirling her hand cannon around her finger; a slight smirk hidden behind her helmet, "If you could call it that."

Kalek looked around at the dead Vex as he responded, "Shortest party I've ever heard of."

"I suppose you're right, especially after being so used to- " The ground began to shake violently and the sound of metal on stone cut off Aihri's comment.

The group turned one hundred and eighty degrees to catch a view of the fully formed Spire. The four story tall structure stood menacingly in the center of the rocky clearing. Its dark metal surface a stark contrast to the vibrant sky and surrounding foliage. The final wisps of its white scaffolding vanishing and the only traces of energy within it focused in the glaringly bright emitter. Sections of the Spire shifted and rotated; pieces sliding into place until its shape became more distinctly rectangular. Smoother edges cased its figure, and less dirt filled its cracks. Then, the Spire fell silent for several seconds. Just long enough for Kalek to take a breath to speak only to be stopped with a brilliant flash of light originating from Spire's emitter. The group shielded their eyes and when they looked again, a beam of white light stretched between the Spire and the Vault door. The ground began to shake once more, and a deep hum filled the air. The radial facets in the domed surface released, one by one with heavy thuds, sinking into the rock wall as centuries of age made the door's internal mechanisms creak and groan.

Kalek let out a gasp in awe as the circular barrier opened, the bottom segments winding around its circumference opening from the bottom up. The plates stopped at a quarter-circle, leaving the the Guardians staring into the gaping maw of the Vault entrance. The path ahead lay black, darkness tainted the air before them; sending a chill down the Hunter's spine.

He looked to his right at Arana who was clutching her fusion rifle as she stared into the depths. Her Ghost, Astrid, floated at her shoulder to capture the moment. Adonis followed suit, and not long every Guardian's companions were present and attentive. These six were making history. Stepping into unknown territory; the realm of the Vex. Once they go in, there's no turning back. He looked back at the door where the rest of the team still stood and slowly walked up the shallow steps, coming shoulder to shoulder with Aihri.

"Well…" She started, "Once more into the breach."

Her voice was solid, but she still stayed unmoving. Nobody spoke as the gravity of the task ahead of them weighed like bricks in their guts. Eventually, Garen turned halfway facing the others, pausing, and turning back to the wide doorway.

"Let's go." He spoke lowly. Hints of fear laced his short sentence. However, he wouldn't show it physically. He took the first steps towards the door and the rest of them followed. He heard the voice one more time _"I am not lost."_ Kalek swallowed once, shared a glance with Arana, and stepped through the threshold of the Darkness.


	2. Chapter 2: The Templar's Well

Chapter 2

The Templar's Well

-Kalek-

The soft trickle of water dripping through the dark caverns was the only reprieve the group received as they traversed the winding tunnels within the Vault. They made no sound aside from the clinking of gear and light splash of trodding through puddles. The air was thick, tainted by the Darkness and the rock around them hummed faintly with Vex energy. A light fog hung low in the cavernous pathway and beams of surface light poked through the occasional crack in the ceiling. Signs of life faded away as they drew deeper, fewer puddles graced the floor, fewer plants clung to the walls and sprouted from the ground.

Kalek grew tense, his eyes flitted around the cave interior as they walked and his grip on his scout rifle tightened. His increasing discomfort had caught the attention of Arana who had kept by his side as they walked. He flinched at the sensation of her hand on his shoulder, but relaxed immediately after.

"You holding up alright?" Her voice showed similar concern to his incident with the Spire pedestal.

he looked over at her, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Somehow, I doubt that." her voice was soft, as she removed her hand and when Kalek remained silent, she spoke again. "Is the pedestal episode still bothering you?"

He didn't answer right away, instead he looked down the line of Guardians for a moment, gazing at Aihri and Garen talking at the head of the pack.

"That's definitely part of it," he mused, "a big part is just me thinking. About what we might be getting ourselves into. Whatever's hid itself in the heart of Venus and sealed itself away with protection like that definitely doesn't want to be found, and probably has unimaginable power brewing along with it. Worse than anything our scraps of information could depict." He looked at each of his team mates as they rounded the upcoming bend, "This place has already consumed three Guardians and I'm certain it wouldn't stop now. Who's to say we won't end up as just another number on the casualty list?"

Arana nodded and let out a breath. "I thought about that too, but at the same time I can't help but feel excited to uncover all the secrets of this place. Plus there are six of us and we have more information than they did. I'd say our chances are much better."

 _But by how much? Our knowledge has only the slightest edge over theirs, and numbers can only take us so far..._

His internal comment filled her pause just enough for him to catch the curiosity worming into her next statement, "Speaking of secrets, what exactly happened with you and the Spire back there?"

Another pause from Kalek as Arana looked to him. He could almost feel her burning curiosity as he collected his thoughts. "I never knew what the Vex minds were like until then. It was strange, tapping into them. At first it seemed to be just static, but it changed. It was more of a will, than thought. The static comes when you resist. It draws you in so quickly and it's so easy to let go, so tempting. I can't say much about possibilities and 'what-if's, but I am grateful you were there to bring me back. I shudder to think of what their corruption would've done to me."

Arana said nothing in response, simply taking in the information and continuing down the winding path. Kalek spoke up again, "There was something else as well." Arana looked back over at him. "There was a voice that spoke through the Vex. It sounded human, male, and what it said makes me think it's been here for a very long time. It told me that it 'was not lost'." He paused in thought for a moment, "Pahanin spoke of something like this in his journal. Something about how in the Vault, time itself frays and distorts. It's a realm where the unimaginable becomes possible. At first I thought the voice may have been the Vex or some sort of consciousness of their creation to speak with us, but there was a hint of pleading in its voice. I think it may have been one of the Guardians in Kabr's fireteam."

"That would make sense." she mumbled, "We're the first Guardians to enter the Vault since then, and if they've been trapped within time here, it'd be natural to try and reach out to one or all of us."

Kalek nodded, his brow creasing with worry, "Now the question is how did that happen to them, and how can we avoid it happening to us?"

"Yeah, and whether we can still save them." She added.

"Hm?" His eyes darted over to her, to see her staring right back.

"If that is in fact Kabr's voice you heard then he must still be alive right? And then there's the rest of his fireteam still trapped down here, we can't just leave them."

A spark of hope flickered in his wary mind as she spoke. Maybe they could bring them home; release them from the dark corners of time. "Yeah." He hummed after his silence as the two caught up with the remaining group. The compact caverns began to open up, and the unknown metal of the Vex began to protrude through the rock. The group reached a large opening where the cave ceiling had fractured and a ravine stretched out to their right. The metal and rock dropped off dozens of meters before a thick fog began to shroud the bottom. Sparse mosses and grass clung to the walls of the ravine and water trickled down the precipice where lazy rays of evening sunlight vaguely lit the drop off.

Garen and Aihri stopped in the small chamber and set down their gear. Dale and Romulus followed suit. Kalek gazed up at the cracked ceiling, then down at the drop a few meters to his right. He wasn't a fan of being unable to see what was below him so he headed over to the left wall and set his scout rifle down, leaning on the rock.

No words needed to be spoken signifying their short break, everyone showed equal signs of fatigue save for Romulus. The Titan remained standing, staring down the drop, auto rifle still in hand. Kalek watched the him inspect the chasm for a while until Arana made her way over to where he leaned against the wall. She joined him with her back against the wall, sliding slowly down to sit on the dusty floor. Fatigue weighed down her movements and her Ghost popped out to speak with her. Mostly praise. Astrid was a pretty chipper companion and always seemed to help keep Arana's energy up, though she rarely needed any pep talks. The combination of the two ended up to be a constant fountain of gushing positivity at times. Kalek understood Astrid's praise, she had put on quite the light show at the cliffside and the energy it took was apparent on her body language. He gazed down at her and a hints of warmth and jealousy picked its way into his mind.

 _There's no room for that._

He frowned and shook his head to clear his thoughts.

 _Focus._

He looked over at the three veteran Guardians a few meters ahead. They were standing and conversing nearby the entrance to another tunnel system. They seemed to be deeply engaged and he couldn't help but wonder what they were talking about. He lacked the will to try and find out for himself and almost as if triggered by his curiosity, Adonis materialized by his shoulder.

 _[_ _I wonder what they're talking about up there. ]_ Adonis pondered

"Why don't you go up there and ask?"

 _[ I have the strangest urge not to ]_

"Uh oh, is someone shy?"

 _[ I don't exactly see you jumping to find out either ]_

"You and I both know what would happen if I walked up to Garen and tried to dip in his conversation. Plus I'm tired. What's your excuse?"

 _[ ...The stars are not in position… ]_

Kalek let out a chuckle, "Classic."

Something started to tug at Kalek's attention. He couldn't see it, but he felt it quite clearly. It seemed to be tugging at _him_ , begging his attention. His brow creased and he nudged Arana with his leg. "Hey, you feel that?"

Arana had already started rising when he brought up the question. "Yeah I do." Astrid's shell twitched and her optic narrowed searching for a source. "It's coming from near the exit over there." She raised a finger towards the area where the veterans were speaking and he noticed that Aihri had already broken off from the group and was inspecting the wall adjacent to the tunnel opening.

"What is it now, Aihri?" He heard Garen growl

"There's something here." She said lowly

"What could that possibly be? A wall of rock and metal? How fascinating!" He mocked

"Hush!" she quipped

Arana and Kalek quickly made their way over as Aihri began sliding her hands over the smooth metal. Arana continued past the others and joined Aihri in inspecting the wall. Kalek was equally confused and intrigued as he watched the two Warlocks feel a wall. Without context, he would've been laughing but he knew they were onto something.

"It's getting stronger," Arana said, "A faint trace of Light. Farther right, a little down."

Aihri stepped over to the other side of Arana, now standing to her right and looking around for anything out of place in the metallic wall. Dale leaned over slightly to speak to Kalek in a teasing tone, "This is why we can't bring Warlocks anywhere. They get curious, and start touching things. Like random walls."

Kalek snickered with a shake of his head. It struck him that this was the first he'd spoken since their mission began, and he was grateful in the fact that the fellow Hunter had begun to shake his nerves. He thought of some of their previous talks fondly but Aihri suddenly exclaimed and opened her hand. Her Ghost appeared in her palm and immediately began scanning the wall where she had just stood. Moments later, the wall section clicked and released a three foot tall box of the same metal as the surrounding wall. She carefully pushed up on the top corners; opening it and an intense light filled the interior of the chest. Aihri looked over her shoulder at Garen and Dale and smirked behind her helmet.

"So what was that about Warlocks, boys?" She teased.

Dale reached up to rub the back of his neck in guilt, "If I recall correctly, Kalek was the one who brought it up."

Kalek scoffed and raised his hands submissively, "Of course. It's always the Russian."

"You know I'm right." Dale chided

Kalek simply sighed beneath his helmet as the the group's attention turned back to the two Warlocks. They simply stared at the box full of light for a moment neither Warlocks moving as well, until Aihri moved to reach into the chest. Arana made an attempt to warn her, but stopped before forming a full word. Aihri's hand disappeared into the light for a moment and when she brought it back out, a spherical capsule of boiling red energy sat within her grasp.

She stood and faced the others, "Ascendant energy capsules." Her voice lowered, "The other Guardians _have_ been here."

When she spoke, a tingle ran up Kalek's spine and he was reminded of the ghostly figure in his vision and the voice that spoke through the network. He looked down at Arana and found her looking up at him. It'd clicked in her mind as well. Kalek looked over at Aihri who was already stowing the capsule in a pouch on her robes.

"How can you be so certain?" he asked

Aihri looked up him, "Ascendant energies are some of the basic components of higher capacity gear for us Guardians. It's what gives our armor and weapons their edge over the Darkness." she patted her pocket, "It's contained in these capsules for future use, and the only way to get energy in the first place is to contain it from the Traveler itself. Something only the Speaker can do, which is then distributed to the Vanguard and those eligible."

She looked over to the wall where the remainder of the team took turns picking through the light-filled chest. "There's no way someone would store their spare materials here, and if the legends are true then this energy has been absorbed from the gear of those who have fallen within the Vault."

"Guardians die. This is some place that it's happened. Got anything actually useful?." Garen's harsh quip from the back of the group took Kalek aback. His chin dropped and his stance hardened as he turned to see the Titan stowing his own share of Ascendant Energy.

"So you already know of them?" Kalek asked, his tone low.

"We've all done our homework, lad. The legend of Kabr's fireteam is not a huge mystery." Garen's dismissive response did little to suppress the growing tension in the air.

"You don't think so?" Kalek's voice held genuine frustration as he glared at the armor-clad man before him. He never liked it when others belittled his thought process, and Garen's condescending delivery only made it worse. And there he stood, readily taking a fallen Guardian's essence without considering their sacrifice. Kalek practically bristled with his response.

"Kabr was one of the City's strongest Titans! You think the Vex would just let them die? Just have it be that simple? They are trying to reach out to us! We can't just count our resources and-"

"-That's not important!" Garen roared, "What _is_ important is that we uphold the mission! There's no room for sympathy in this war, and when you finally wake up from that delusion is when you will learn to be more than you are."

Kalek's fingers curled into a fist at his side as he glowered in silence. Seeing the opportunity, Garen continued firmly, "Now, you and Dale go scout ahead. We still have a lot of ground to cover."

Kalek still stood rigid, his gaze burning into Garen's.

" _Now!_ " the Titan commanded, and Kalek whirled to storm down the narrow exit, arcs of electricity sparking from his armor.

His boots echoed down the stone passage, the low rhythmic thud of synthetic boots against smooth rock reverberated continuously seeming to embody the building anger within him. The interaction wasn't lengthy, there wasn't even terribly much that was said, but it left him ready to carve out a new tunnel system for them to explore. Garen had always been able to get beneath his skin, and his absolute command in every situation never ceased to make matters worse. The remainder was unknown. He didn't know _how_ Garen got to him so easily and that alone was frustrating enough.

The pathway began to straighten and the exit drew nearer and another stronger bolt ignited in his wake with a loud pop.

"Easy there bud, your company isn't shock-proof."

Dale's voice took Kalek by surprise and he almost instantly worked down his composure, slowing his pace and suppressing his temper. He stopped and turned to allow the other Hunter to catch up. His form was dark in the dim cavern light, but the vibrant orange of his cloak and the glint of a rifle body in his hands gave Kalek a little affirmation.

"Sorry," he grumbled, "you saw that back there though right? I'm not the only one who found that… you know…"

"Yeah. I do have to say, Garen was a little harsh. Aihri will probably have a word with him."

"I just can't believe he just disregarded their deaths like that, he just..." Kalek blew air from between his lips and shook his head, following Dale as he kept moving forward. The Hunter let out a chuckle and Kalek could only tilt his head in confusion.

"What?" he asked,

A slight head shake from Dale, "I just don't know what's up with you two. From the moment you both met, I've had to take a second thought about getting myself a personal blast shield when you're in the same room."

Kalek almost laughed at the truth he held. He had started to notice some of the other team members tended to stay quiet during their arguments, and could imagine the other four guardians huddled behind cover as he and Garen duked it out.

Kalek kept stride with Dale and his mood began to lift as they progressed through the widening passage. His gratitude for Dale's company only improved as the other Hunter pulled a second, longer rifle from his back,

"You left this." Dale said.

"Oh. Thanks." Kalek responded as he took his scout rifle back. He hadn't realized that he didn't have it before he stormed out, he felt a twinge of embarrassment which only worsened when Dale pulled two Ascendant Energy capsules from one of his belt pockets.

"Those are mine too huh?" Kalek muttered as he secured his rifle to his back,

Dale nodded as he passed them off, "You've got a good friend there."

"Hm?" Kalek hummed.

"Arana." Dale said, "She's the one who told me to bring your stuff. Only one who noticed apparently."

He blinked in silence, holding the warm spheres. He felt a slight tingle in his stomach and a warmth came to him, but he didn't have much time to linger on the thought for long. A sudden gust of wind rushed down the passage, ruffling the hood of his cloak. He brought a hand up to secure it as he realized they were nearing the once-distant opening.

Dust carried by the wind hissed along the cave walls and skipped past the hole they approached. The ground seemed to slope downwards and he realized the area just past the opening was strangely empty. He halted, his muscles tense as he suddenly found himself at the edge of an impossibly steep drop. An immense area had been hollowed out and any sort of boundaries were quickly lost. His eyes flitted around the scene wildly, looking for a floor, a ceiling, walls, anywhere safe to go next but his only reprieve was a distant far right wall of stone and two massive smooth stone platforms seemingly floating without any support.

He looked down at the platforms and his legs began to tingle. The drop would take a few seconds, but a miss would send him plummeting into the bottomless dark. He stabilized himself on the tunnel wall and looked over at Dale who was still scanning the treacherous environment.

"Any ideas?" Kalek asked.

"Well, we could either try our luck with the obvious trap down there," Dale craned his neck to peer at the far wall. "Or we could take the crash course on rock climbing."

Kalek looked back to their options and saw that both led down to the beginnings of a stone pathway along a small cliff. The jagged rock wall gave way to smooth, carved Vex-stone just before the path picked up. He glanced back over at the platforms. Although risky, one could definitely use them to get to the far cliffside. It was simply a matter of who could use which path. A Warlock could easily float down to each platform, and the Titans could use their lift to propel them across with ease. Both skills no Hunter could even attempt. Once he was moving, he could change course once, and that was it. You either got it right or you didn't, and that wasn't a chance he was willing to take.

"Both lead where we need to go, but I'm starting to trust those platforms less and less." Kalek called. He didn't trust either one and his nerves were definitely speaking to him as he stepped closer to the edge of the drop, but he didn't have many other options. He held onto the rock with his right hand and kept his gaze up, staring at the wall just above his footing. Foot over foot, he carefully picked his way towards the far right wall.

The edge's foot and handholds grew increasingly scattered as they neared the far wall, eventually forcing the two lower into the howling dark where the stone grew wider and the slope less harsh. Although what they stood on was but a shallower slope, a slip would prove more than problematic. Their Ghosts hovered at their shoulders ready to help, optics shining like flashlights doing their best to counter the piercing black.

[ _How much further?_ ] Adonis called over the rushing wind

Kalek looked up to the dimly lit slope above them, "Not sure, can't be too much longer though. The wall wasn't too far to begin with and once we get there, things will get easier-"

The sound of cracking stone filled his ears and echoed off the wall and Kalek froze. His gaze instantly shot upwards as his eyes searched the area above. A tense breath slipped through his lips as he slid his hand over rock beside him, repressing his building panic in search of a secure handhold. A low rumble and a clap of thunder before the rock around them split, and Kalek fell enveloped in fear into the bitter dark below.

He heard his name being called from above through the roar of collapsing rock and he reached up from the void before vanishing into a wind of spectral matter. His form came back into being just at the edge of one of the wall edges and he reached out, hoping to latch onto anything secure before the planet's intense gravity began pulling him back down. His fingers caught on rock and he began to heave himself up onto the narrow wall side. He clutched the wall to catch his breath, he'd only performed a successful blink maneuver a few sparing times in his life and his amazement at his accuracy this time washed over him with a twinge of short-lived relief.

"Kalek!", He heard Dale call and he searched frantically for his partner amid the chaos. His voice sounded close and it would only be a moment before a flash of orange caught his eye just above him. The vibrant tip of Dale's cloak zipped past as he called, "Go! The pathway is close!"

Kalek gave a hasty nod and whirled to follow, his strides light but with enough power to propel him through the crumbling cliffside. Every step brought him closer to safety and equally each brought a fresh jolt of panic as the ground slipped from beneath him. He kept his eyes ahead, and his heart raced as he and Dale leapt from perch to perch along the wall. He heard the buzz of comms chatter beneath the roar of collapsing rock but he blocked it out, focusing on weaving his way to the imminent edge. The final gap drew closer as a shower of pebbles clinked against his helmet and armor only inciting him to take the leap. He pushed off with all he had and landed into a roll with a pained grunt onto the pathway.

Kalek pulled his cloak from over him and peered at the collapsing cliffside. Dale had landed just behind him and was already rising, dusting himself off and inspecting his armor for damage. He found a small tear at the side of his cloak and let out a sigh before turning to gaze at the shifting chasm behind them.

"WHAT'S GOING ON OVER THERE? SCOUTS COME IN, WHAT'S YOUR STATUS?!"

Kalek flinched at the voice that barked through the comms. He could tell it was Garen, but his mind still buzzed and when he thought to speak, he couldn't seem to formulate words quite yet.

"We're alright, made it over just fine. Couple scrapes, could use a ham sandwich or two."

Kalek looked up at Dale with a nod of gratitude and an amused chuckle. Dale returned the gesture with a thumbs up and Kalek could almost imagine the charismatic smirk he'd have beneath his helmet.

"What do you mean made it over?" It was Aihri's voice this time, holding a calm concern, a stark contrast from Garen's intensity. "What did you find?"

Kalek had risen to stand at Dale's shoulder during their conversation, he looked out over to the settling rockfall before becoming aware that he'd lost track of their conversation.

"Oh." Aihri mused, and Kalek looked up at the distant tunnel opening where the rest of the group stood gawking at the chasm before them. They were but small figures up in the distant cave exit with no other options to reunite save for the stone platforms. Concern turned to dread as he looked at the Guardian's only path to see the platforms were simply floating above the dark chasm.

 _There's no way those could support much of anything…_

His thoughts we're interrupted by the sound of a countdown over his helmet comms and he snapped his eyes back to the others high above, and at the count of one, he saw four figures take to the air.

Kalek called out to them, "WAIT! THERE'S NO SUPPORT BENEATH THEM-"

"WE'RE OUT OF OPTIONS!" It was Garen who called back angrily. "IF THEY START TO FALL WE CAN USE THE FAR WALL!"

"The far wall is unstable, you can't!" Dale chimed in, equally as worried.

"This is our best option." Romulus spoke calm and stern, "It would yield troubling results should we send only one to test the strength of the platforms"

The Titan landed upon the stone. "Should the rock fall, it would leave the remainder of us stranded on the other side."

Kalek said nothing, only gripped with disdain as he watched them jump. When Romulus landed on the first, the platform heaved and emanated a deep groan. His hands balled into fists, his heart jumped and the remainder of the group landed.

"Keep moving!" Aihri called. And the suspended stone began to give.

" _Hurry!"_ Kalek yelled.

One by one they leap to the next platform and he took notice of something as they left. The first platform began to rise again, and when they landed, the second began to dip as well. A tense confusion set over him as he watched the others sprint for the pathway. The platforms held, but only after taking a concerning drop.

 _Of course they're fine, yeah… just toy with me like that, should be fun._

Kalek's muscles relaxed and he let out an irritated huff as he watched the others make their way towards them. He felt a tap on his shoulder and he looked to see Dale jab a thumb at the pathway. He nodded and turned to head down the cliffside path. Ahead, the rock formed a low archway over head and he could make out massive pillars of machine and stone reaching up from the abyss until they vanished in the darkness far above. The pathway edge obscured the bottoms of the pillars, but cones of light shined along the sides of them. The pillars' base must be just be below.

"Heads up!" Dale's voice brought his attention back to the path which began to come to an end in a series of drop offs leading down to a final stop, a flat area of smooth stone. A few pebbles fell from the sides of each ledge.

Kalek took the first of many leaps down as Arana's voice came in through the comms. "A lot of this area seems like it formed fairly recently. Almost as if the paths were simply there by chance as the rock crumbled away."

"I suppose, but the rectangular smooth stone everywhere is definitely the Vex's doing." Dale said,

Another leap down, and a thud of boots moments later, "This place just doesn't seem to make sense." Kalek said shaking his head, "How did the Vex manage to hollow out this much of the planet? And explain the thunder, last I checked weather happens above ground, not below."

 _A place where the unthinkable is possible…_

Kalek took the last leap, landing beside Dale and inspecting the area around them. The clear area seemed to be a single massive slab of smoothed stone protruding over the chasm, leading to where the four columns reached up. The other Hunter began to move towards the ledge, but Kalek turned to wait for the others. Arana's gentle glide drifted her down to his side, while the others made their way down the staggered path.

"So those platforms huh?" He heard Arana say, and a playful hit on his chest with the back of her hand followed, "Had us all worked up back there and they turned out to be just fine!"

He spread his arms apologetically, "Okay so when you see giant floating rectangles over a bottomless pit, your first thought is that they're perfectly safe?"

She shifted her weight and planted both hands on them, "Well not exactly, but I'd try and make sure they're dangerous before making that assumption."

Romulus landed with a heavy thud just shy of them, but said nothing and joined the gathering group. Kalek tilted his head towards the passing Titan "Well, as our friend here said 'it would yield troubling results' to try and test anything out beforehand."

He attempted his most proper voice inflection when he spoke, which came closer to a bad Spock impression than Romulus' voice. A giggle slipped from Arana and shortly after a rumble of thunder rolled through the air. The pair's laughter died as they glanced around, turning back to the nearby wall, which seemed to hum with energy.

Adonis formed just in front of him, looking from the wall to over Kalek's shoulder.

[ _I'm sensing a large energy spike building just behind us. Possibly-_ ]

"Hey Kalek?" Dale called, "Remember that weather you were talking about..."

He turned back to the where the group stood, they all were staring up at a gathering cloud formation just ahead of them before the pillars. The wind picked up and the dark clouds swirled, infested with lighting.

"... I think we found the source."

Kalek and Arana walked forward, captivated by the clouds as crystalline shards of glass swirled along with the clouds. A bright center of light grew within the disk, before beaming down into the ground below in a flash and the clouds dispersed. A conflux brightened at the place of impact, a short tower of metal and data.

It lied below, the playing field was set, and Kalek looked up at the Vex created landscape before them. The pillars reached up through the floor of a massive area of stone and metal. Three distinct lanes stretched out before them, similar to that which lay before the entrance to the Vault. The left stretched around the left of the pillars, heavily sheltered, stone spires and pits led all the way to a back stairway. The middle led down through the pillars to a central open area which connected all three lanes, and even further down, a wide set of stairs led down to a pool of glaringly bright light. The right stretched around the right side of the pillars leading upstairs to a smaller area beside a cave. All three lanes reconnected in the back to the door; round, metal, unmoving. Until the metal sparked, and a massive foe materialized before them. A Vex hydra with glowing spheres adorned within its frame let out a deep, menacing electronic roar. A call of challenge. A threat of death.

The six readied themselves, and dropped down into the domain of the Templar.


End file.
